voyagers
by jugheadjones3
Summary: "I'm not here to fight a war, I'm here to help my family." Or, at least that was Teresa Cruz's initial mission. But even those with the most innocent and selfless of reasons can become monsters during war.
1. Chapter 1

ROCHESTER, NEW YORK- JUNE 1942

Every evening, the Cruz family made a point to sit down for dinner together. Today was no different. Leo and Paula, along with their three daughters- Tess, Maria, and Sara- were sitting in the dimly lit kitchen of the family's apartment eating. In the background, the radio relayed news of the war going on overseas.

"It's so terrible," Leo Cruz shook his head, "Most of the boys down at the auto garage are being sent overseas. Soon it's just going to be us old folk left!"

Paula nodded in agreement and turned to her children, "I just hope that draft doesn't take any of you girls."

Maria sighed, "Sara is too young, Mama. And women are being drafted at a lower rate than men, anyway."

Tess cleared her throat, "Well…"

Paula's face went as white as a sheet, "Teresa, don't tell me you were drafted."

"Oh, no. I didn't. In fact I… well, I volunteered. For the airborne division."

As though on cue, everyone at the table gasped. It would have been comical, if the mood weren't so serious.

Leo set down his fork and looked at his oldest daughter, "Tess…"

"It's okay, Papa. It was my choice. I'd rather choose to join the army than be drafted. Besides, I know we need more money, and now I'll be able to provide for the family and do my part."

"Tess, you don't need to worry about us," Paula assured her, "And I wish you would have told us first."

"What division did you join? The airborne?" Sara, at least, seemed intrigued.

Tess smiled at her, "That's right. I'm going to be a paratrooper."

"Oh my, what inspired that?" Paula asked.

"They get paid fifty extra dollars a month, for starters."

Paula and Leo exchanged a look.

Leo cleared his throat, "So, when do you ship out?"

"I'm supposed to report to Camp Toccoa in Georgia in July for basic training. And we don't need to worry about transportation. It's all paid for, I just have to get on the right train."

Silence descended upon the table, save for the radio continuing to narrate the war in the background. And everyone in the family seemed to be thinking the same things. But no one had wanted to say them. So they held their silence.

On July 30th, Tess Cruz said goodbye to her family and boarded a train for Georgia. There were many tears, many hugs, and many promises to write as often as possible.

She would not see her family again for three years.

CAMP TOCCOA, GEORGIA- AUGUST 1942

In the short time that Tess Cruz had been at Camp Toccoa, she had learned a two valuable lessons. The first was that not everyone in the army was entirely accepting of women, Puerto Ricans, or Puerto Rican women (like herself). The second was that the leader of her company, Captain Herbert Sobel, was cruel and unforgiving.

Currently, Easy Company stood awaiting the man himself.

"YOU PEOPLE ARE AT THE POSITION OF ATTENTION!"

And there he was.

Like a shark, he moved through the ranks, seizing on the slightest infraction. Perconte's slightly creased trousers? Weekend pass revoked. Dirt in George Luz's gun? Weekend pass revoked. A speck of dust on Sergeant Lipton's uniform? Weekend pass revoked.

And on and on it went. Finally, Sobel reached the women's section of the company. The twenty women of Easy Company stood at attention behind their unofficial leader, who had risen to the position mostly just by being the only qualified woman, Lieutenant Patsy Sheridan.

With just as much menace, if not more, Sobel strode up to the nearest woman.

"Name?" he demanded.

"Fitzgerald, Charlotte M, sir."

 _Aw crap_ , Tess thought. She had gotten to know Charlotte over her time at Camp Toccoa and respectful to authorities she was not.

"Private Fitzgerald, one of your boot laces is coming undone. In battle, that would be certain death. Weekend pass revoked."

 _Keep your trap shut, Charlotte. Just take it_ , Tess prayed. And by some miracle of God, Charlotte managed to say nothing. Probably because Sobel had already begun terrorizing the next girl.

Eventually, Sobel returned to stand in front of the company.

"No respectable company leader, myself included, would take this company to war in its current condition. Thanks to those with infractions, every man and woman in the company who had a weekend pass has lost it."

He let that sit for a moment before barking out his next order.

"Change into your PT gear. We're running Currahee."

And with that, he left, presumably to change into his own PT gear.

Lieutenant Sheridan turned to the women, "Fall out! Two minutes until we run Currahee!"

The entire company rushed back to the barracks to change. No one said a word until they were in the cabin with the door closed.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" Charlotte exclaimed, throwing her helmet down onto her bed, "Who the fuck does that man think he is?"

Jill Heinrich, a fairly quiet girl, and one of Easy Company's sergeants snorted, "Our company commander. Which he is."

That got a couple of chuckles. Charlotte, embracing her Irish background, continued to swear Sobel out. She ran out of curse words about a mile up the hill.

"Fuck, I can't think of any more insults," she panted.

"Good, talking is just going to make you tired faster," Tess pointed out.

"WHERE DO WE RUN?" Sobel yelled.

"Tell that to him," Charlotte grumbled, as the entire company replied, "CURRAHEE"

"WHAT'S CURRAHEE MEAN?"

"WE STAND ALONE!"

"HOW FAR UP? HOW FAR DOWN?"

"THREE MILES UP, THREE MILES DOWN."

"That's six miles too long," muttered Tess.

"NOW WHAT COMPANY IS THIS?"

"EASY COMPANY!"

"AND WHAT DO WE DO?"

"STAND ALONE!"

Despite her hatred for Sobel, Tess couldn't agree more with those words- and the name of the hill, for that matter. Currahee. Stand alone. It was true. No one was going to help her get to the top of that hill. She had to do it by herself.

 _Come on Tess,_ she told herself, _You can do it. Think of Mama and Papa. And Sara and Maria. You're doing this for them._

What was the old proverb her mother used to say?

"El que quiera peces, que se moje el culo," Paula Cruz would say, as she ruffled Tess's hair. _The one who wants fish must get his ass wet._ In other words, you have make sacrifices or face challenges to get what you want. And it was there, on that dreaded mountain, with Sobol screaming in her ear that Tess realized what she wanted. She wanted to be a paratrooper. So she ran faster, passing many of the women in her company. She reached the top of the mountain and bent down to touch it before turning around.

"22 minutes! Hurry up! Get your sorry asses up this mountain!" Sobel yelled as Tess turned around.

"Come on, you can make it up there! Come on! We can do this!" Lieutenant Winters, one of the platoon leaders, shouted.

Tess almost laughed. _Two kinds of people._

Going down was much easier than going up, at least. Tess reached the bottom of the hill twenty minutes later. A little less than half of the company had finished. Lieutenant Sheridan came over to pat Tess on the back as she finished.

"Nice work, Private," she said.

Tess managed to stop panting for a minute to reply, "Thanks Lieutenant."

"You can head over the mess hall for dinner now. But between you and me, don't eat too much. I'm told Sobel's making us do the twelve mile march afterwards."

"Ah, fuck."

Patsy grinned, "You and me both, Private."

Sure enough, after dinner, Easy Company was paraded on a twelve mile march led by Lieutenant Winters. As horrendous as it was to be doing this on a Friday night in full uniform while the other eight companies were out enjoying their weekend pass, Sobel had not joined them on the march. It was mostly quiet, save for the occasional banter up front between Bull Randleman, George Luz, and Winters.

Unfortunately, Sobel met them at the end of the march and ordered them to dump out their canteens. One particularly stupid soldier had decided to drink from his. Of course, Sobel pounced on him like a cat does with a mouse, and ordered him to repeat the march.

Finally, they were dismissed to their barracks. Unlike earlier in the day, no one had the energy to rant and complain about their commanding officer. Instead, the women of Easy Company changed out of their uniforms, laid down, and promptly fell asleep.

After several more days of similar training, mainly consisting of running up and down Currahee, the company moved onto more advanced training, which, thanks to Sobel, wasn't any less miserable. Jumping out of practice planes, obstacle courses filled with pig guts… all in all, a horrible week that somehow ended in a celebratory spaghetti dinner.

"What's the catch?" Tess asked Charlotte as they grabbed their trays of spaghetti and sat down.

"What do you mean?"

Tess gestured to the spaghetti, "The Captain Sobel I know wouldn't just give us spaghetti for no reason."

"Well, for starters, Winters is the one running the kitchen…"

"He's Sobel's first lieutenant. He has to do whatever Sobel says, so that doesn't mean anything."

"Don't fucking interrupt me. And _second…_ "

"This ain't spaghetti," Ethel Bostick announced as she dropped into the seat next to Tess, "I was just talking to Perconte and Guarnere. They're Italian and they say this ain't real spaghetti. It's just army noodles with ketchup."

Charlotte laughed, "I don't need a goddamn Italian to tell me that. Of course this isn't spaghetti."

Their temporary joy was ended when Sobel strode into the room.

"Oh, hell," Charlotte muttered as she stood up.

"Orders changed! Get up! Lectures are cancelled; Easy Company is running up Currahee! Move, move!"

Tess turned to Charlotte, and couldn't hide her smirk, "Told you there was a catch."

Today's run up Currahee was particularly brutal. Sobel cut through the ranks insulting every soldier he came across.

"You're a washout, Private Hoobler! You should pack up those ears and go home!"

"Looks like Gordon's done! Aren't you, Gordon? You finished? You do not deserve your wings!"

 _Wings. Paratrooper. I have to be a paratrooper._ Tess barely had time to process this before Sobel was upon her.

"Faster, Private Cruz! Why did you join the airborne if you can't even run up a hill?"

Before Sobel could move onto the next soldier, a voice broke through the panting and gasping.

"We pull upon the rises…"

George Luz, the unsung hero of Easy Company. All it took was that one line, and then entire company joined in on the song, drowning out Sobel's insults.

"Hi-dee, hi-dee, Christ Almighty, who the hell are we? Zim-zam, goddamn, we're Airborne infantry!"

Tess realized that maybe she wasn't alone in her desire to be a paratrooper. She had nearly 150 people who wanted the same thing she did. And goddamn it, were they going to get there.

Despite the strenuous events of the week, Easy Company managed to retain their weekend passes for the first time. On Saturday evening, the entire company found themselves in the local pub. Tess sat at a corner table with Charlotte, Ethel, and Jill.

"You know, I think this might be the first time the company is together doing something other than running Currahee," Tess commented.

Charlotte burped, "Fucking Sobel. Fucking Currahee."

Ethel giggled, "I'm gonna shove him outta that airplane when we jump!"

Charlotte and Ethel, like 90% of the company, were drunk.

Tess and Jill, who were not drunk, exchanged matching looks of annoyance.

"Ladies," a voice announced, and George Luz slid into the booth next to Jill, who looked like she'd rather be anywhere else. Joseph Liebgott, Don Malarkey, Floyd Talbert, and Frank Perconte followed his lead and found seats around the table.

Charlotte waved flirtatiously, "Hello boys. What brings you to our corner of the pub on this fine evening?"

Malarkey raised his glass of beer, "Alcohol, mostly."

"So let's see if I know everyone," Luz announced. He pointed at Charlotte, "Charlotte Fitzgerald. We'll call you Fitz because Charlotte and Fitzgerald are both mouthfuls." Then he pointed at Ethel, "Private Bostick. I don't know you're first name, but Sobel sure does yell at you a lot."

"It's Ethel," she said with a shrug and then promptly chugged the rest of her glass of beer.

"Good to know. And you," he moved on to point at Tess, "Tess Cruz. Not to keep speaking of the devil, but Sobel seems to think you can't run up a hill. I disagree."

Tess grinned, "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

Luz nodded, "My pleasure. And finally," he turned to Jill, "Jill Heinrich," he said in an exaggerated German accent, "Huh. I think that's German. What do you think, Joe?"

"As German as weinerschnitzel," Liebgott replied.

"Anyway," Perconte cut in, "I'm Frank Perconte. You know Luz, and if you didn't, you do now. And this is Joe Liebgott, Don Malarkey, and Floyd Talbert."

Charlotte hiccuped, "Nice to meet everyone."

"Anyone want a smoke?" Liebgott asked, fishing a pack out of his jacket.

"Thought you'd never ask," Ethel grumbled, "Gimme one of those."

Soon, everyone had a cigarette and a light cloud of smoke had covered the table. Malarkey had pulled out a pack of cards and the whole table had joined in on a friendly game.

"So Talbert," Perconte said after Jill had won her third straight game and everyone else had gotten a bit tired of losing, "You got the inside scoop. When are we jumping?"

Talbert, one of the company's sergeants, grinned mischievously, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Aw, come on Tab. Don't be such a fucking smart ass," Liebgott complained.

Talbert raised his hands in surrender, "Not gonna lie, I'm not entirely sure. They don't let me know _that_ much. My guess is Monday or Tuesday, though."

"Well, fuck," Charlotte swore, "I'm not gonna be ready to jump out of a plane by Monday or Tuesday."

"Sure you are. After all that hell with Sobel, jumping out of a plane's gonna be cake," Malarkey said.

"And the parachute does most of the work, anyway," Jill added.

 _Always the voice of reason_ , Tess thought.

"The Kraut's got a point!" Luz said, "As long as we've got those parachutes, we'll be fine. I wouldn't sweat it."

"Shit, George! Forgive me if I'm a bit anxious about throwing myself out of a moving airplane!" Ethel exclaimed.

Everyone laughed, and the easy banter between the soldiers continued.

Come Monday, Tess and the rest of Easy Company learned that Sergeant Talbert had been right- they were jumping today. The soldiers of Easy, along with the eight other companies in the regiment, would complete five jumps from C-47 aircrafts. A successful completion of the five jumps was the certification needed to become a paratrooper.

There was a lot of chatter in the women's barrack that morning as they got ready. Many of the women were very nervous, however, Tess was not. She had done a decent job during all of the practice jumps, so she had a feeling this wouldn't be too difficult. Instead, Tess just felt anxious to get it over with and continue with the more advanced training, and eventually, join the war.

It was quite odd, she thought, as she put on her gear. She had joined the airborne with the purpose of providing for her family, and somewhere along the line, it had morphed into something more than that. She wasn't eager for war, like some of the men and women in the company, instead she felt a small sense of security. Like this was the right thing to do. In a strange way, she felt that she belonged here.

Of course, she had to get there first.

"Get ready! Stand up! Hook up!" the jump instructor yelled over the airplane's engine.

"Check equipment! Sound off for equipment check!"

"Nine okay!"

"Eight okay!"

"Seven okay!"

"Six okay!"

"Five okay!"

"Four okay!"

"Three okay!"

"Two okay!"

"One okay!"

"Stand in the door!" the jump instructor called, and then to Lieutenant Winters, who was first in line: "I guarantee you're gonna love it, lieutenant. Go! Go!"

And Winters jumped through the door, followed by Nixon and the rest of the soldiers on the airplane. Eventually, Tess was at the door.

"Go! Go!" the instructor shouted in her ear. So she went. And just like that, she was flying through the air. Her parachute blew out behind her, and the momentary terror of hurtling through the air subsided because now she was gently floating down towards the ground. All around her, the sky was full of parachutes supporting the 101st airborne infantry's newest paratroopers.

Tess reached the ground without a problem, and by some miracle, landed on her feet. Charlotte touched down next to her and landed flat on her ass. Tess couldn't help it. She laughed.

"Aw, you're just jealous that you're not a true paratrooper. "We always hit our ass", you know? Landing on your feet… what a show-off," Charlotte grumbled.

Tess patted her on the back, "We're both true paratroopers now."

That evening, Easy Company got together to celebrate their success. Every member wore their uniform with their newly received jump wings pinned to their jackets. Music played in the background as Easy Company talked, drank, and even danced in deference to the Glenn Miller Orchestra.

Tess sat at the bar with Charlotte and Ethel, laughing at Luz's uncanny impersonation of Sobel when Jill walked over, looking oddly proud.

"Someone's happy," Tess commented, nudging her slightly.

Jill pointed to her sleeve, where a clean set of chevrons had been sewn in, "They promoted me to Sergeant!"

"Congratulations!" Tess exclaimed.

Luz winked at her, "Yeah, nice one, Kraut."

"Fucking sergeant!" Charlotte said, shoving her playfully.

Jill looked mildly uncomfortable with all of the sudden attention, but she was spared from answering by Colonel Sink's entrance.

"Well, at ease, paratroopers," he said, as he made his way to the front of the room, "Good evening, Easy Company!"

"Evening, sir!"

"Now, Parachute Infantry is a brand new concept in American military history," Sink continued, "But by God, the 506 is gonna forge that concept into victory!"

"Yes, sir!" the company cheered.

"I want you to know that I'm damn proud of each and every one of you. Now, you deserve this party. So I want you to have fun, and remember our motto: Currahee!"

"Currahee!"

With that, the Colonel departed.

"You think they could think of a more inspiring motto," Tess muttered, although no one heard her. Slowly, the group around her began to dwindle as the men and women began to pair off and head for the dance floor. Tess couldn't help but smile as she saw Ethel spinning around with Malarkey.

"I'm heading back to the barracks. To get a bit of peace and quiet," Jill whispered in her ear.

Tess nodded, "I'll probably join you in a few, I just want to make sure that Charlotte and Ethel don't pass out from drunkenness and what not."

Jill left and Tess was alone at the bar- but not for long.

"How am I supposed to order a drink if there isn't even a bartender?" asked a disgruntled voice. Tess turned to see that Lieutenant Nixon had popped up next to her, followed closely by Lieutenant Winters.

Suddenly feeling quite overwhelmed, Tess saluted the two men, "Lieutenant Nixon. Lieutenant Winters."

Winters gave a small salute in return, by Nixon just waved her off.

"I'm a drunken disgrace right now, don't salute me while I'm in this state." With that, he grabbed a large bottle of whiskey and poured a significant amount of it into a glass. Then he settled himself down in one of the seats at the bar and drank. Winters sighed and sat down in between Nixon and Tess. He took the bottle of whiskey from Nixon and pulled it towards himself.

Tess frowned, "I thought you didn't drink."

"You hear that Dick? You even have an uptight reputation amongst the privates," Nixon muttered as he put his head down on the table.

But Winters just laughed, "I don't drink. I'm just here to babysit him," with this he gestured towards Nixon, who appeared to have passed out.

Tess raised her eyebrows, but Winters seemed unconcerned. He looked away from Nixon and turned to face Tess, "Private Cruz, right?"

Tess nodded, "Tess."

"Tess," Winters smiled, "I'm Dick." He stuck his hand out and Tess shook it. She briefly thought back to her introduction to the other men in Easy Company that night at the pub. That had been much more informal. No handshakes involved. But then again, none of those men were officers.

"So, where you from Te-Private?"

"Originally? Cayey, Puerto Rico. But I moved to Rochester, New York seven years ago with my family."

"Well, I've never been to Puerto Rico. I do live in Pennsylvania though. I've visited New York, even been to Rochester once or twice. Do you like it there?"

"I-" Tess began.

"Jesus Christ, Dick. Can you try not to bore the girl to death?" Tess just about jumped out of her seat. She had thought Nixon was asleep. Apparently not.

"I apologize that we don't all have your stunning charisma, Nix," Dick replied sarcastically.

Nixon pointed at Dick and looked straight at Tess, "This right here is the most boring man you will ever meet. He has no flaws, no vices, no personality, no sense of humor." Nixon looked away from Tess to stare at Dick, "By God, you really are boring, aren't you?"

Dick sighed. He seemed to do that a lot about Nixon.

Tess took that opportunity to excuse herself. She stood up and nodded towards the two lieutenants, "Sirs. Nice talking to you."

Both men watched her retreating back as she left the building to head towards her barracks.

"Nice job, Nix, you scared her off," Dick said, sounding mildly disappointed for some reason.

Nixon just chuckled, "Did you hear that Dick? She called us sirs."

Tess was too far away to hear Dick's sigh at that point, but somehow, she knew it was there.


	2. Chapter 2

CAMP MACKALL, NORTH CAROLINA- JUNE 1943

Enduring the brutal, unrelenting nature of basic training had left Tess exhausted and wishing for death. But it had culminated in becoming a paratrooper, which somehow made the whole ordeal seem worthwhile.

The same couldn't be said for tactical training. It was every bit as grueling, and the end result (being sent off to war) wasn't nearly as satisfying.

Of course, Easy Company stuck together, more bonded than ever. They were still stuck with Captain Sobel, but the cocky, untouchable man from basic training had disappeared and been replaced with one just as cruel, but not nearly as competent.

During one particularly memorable training exercise, the company sat crouched in the woods. It had been several minutes, and they had not yet moved on from this position.

Tess turned to Charlotte next to her, "How much you wanna bet Sobel botched this one, too?"

Charlotte snorted, "I'd bet my entire supply of alcohol."

"Well, we all know how much that is," Liebgott whispered from behind them. Charlotte turned around with the intention of slapping him, which she might have if Tess hadn't yanked her back.

"We're in the wrong position!" Sobel called, mostly to himself.

Tess looked at Charlotte, who grinned wildly, "Guess I get to keep that alcohol."

Now the entire company had eyes on Sobel, who kept looking from the map to the area around him, as though he expected the terrain to magically shift. Finally, in an act of duty or pity, Dick Winters headed over to the captain.

"We're a textbook position for ambush, sir. I think we should sit tight, let the enemy team come into our killing zone." Dick spoke in a calm and collected manner, but Tess could sense just how aggravated he was. It practically rolled off of him in waves.

Sobel shook his head frantically, "They're right out there somewhere. Let's just get them!"

"Sir, we have perfect cover here," Dick argued.

Sobel simply ignored him, "Lieutenant, deploy your troops."

Defeated, Dick turned to the platoon, "2nd Platoon, move out!"

There was some grumbling amongst the soldiers, but they knew better than to disobey a direct order. The company climbed out of the foxhole and did not walk more than ten steps before some foliage rustled and several soldiers in camouflage stepped out from their hiding place, weapons pointed at Easy Company.

The leader of the exercise emerged from the trees as well and approached Captain Sobel, "Captain, you've just been killed, along with 95% of your company. Your outfit?"

In that moment, not only had 95% of Easy Company been "killed", but Tess had a feeling they would have committed murder as well.

Sobel cleared his throat, clearly embarrassed, "Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506."

The other captain scribbled that down on his clipboard, "Leave three men on the ground and report back to the assembly area," he instructed.

Later, Dick confided to Tess in the company headquarters.

"He's not fit to be leader of the company. Not only is his tactical thinking completely screwed in the field, but he doesn't listen to any of the officers or NCOs either," Dick said, coming as close to complaining as Tess had ever seen.

"Is there any way for you to issue a complaint? It's not like you don't have proof of his inadequacy as leader," Tess offered.

Dick shook his head, "No, there's really nothing I can do about it. Just hope someone higher up comes to same conclusion we have, I guess."

"Are you two in the middle of something?" Nixon asked, as he sauntered in through the door.

"Not at all, Nix," Dick ran a hand through his hair.

"So what are we talking about? Alcohol? Pornography? All of the above?"

"Sobel's inability to lead the company," Tess supplied.

"Ah, that," Nixon sighed, "What are you going to do?" he asked Dick.

"Nothing, just keep training the men," Dick said, sounding resigned.

"Am I interrupting?" Nixon, Dick, and Tess turned to see a short, curly-haired man standing in the doorway.

"No, no. Lieutenant Harry Welsh, meet Lieutenant Lewis Nixon and Corporal Tess Cruz," Dick gestured to both Nixon and Tess as he introduced them. Lieutenant Welsh shook each of their hands.

"Nice to meet you, sir," Tess said.

Welsh raised an eyebrow, "Corporal, you say?"

"Yes sir, I've just been promoted, actually," Tess replied, fully aware that he was questioning her presence.

"Corporal Cruz is here visiting Lieutenant Winters on… personal time, if you catch my meaning," Nixon told Welsh with a small smirk, "And as for him," Nixon pointed towards Dick, "well, you'll learn him pretty quickly. No flaws, no vices, no sense of humor."

"Just like your chums up at Battalion staff?" Dick shot back before turning to Welsh, "What's up?"

"I'm hearing a lot of rumblings," Welsh began.

"Sobel?" Nixon laughed, "We were just talking about that."

"So, he gets a little jumpy in the field?" Welsh asked.

"He gets jumpy and then you get killed," Nixon grumbled.

"That's nice…"

"Listen," Dick cut in, "if we discuss it, I think it should be just amongst ourselves."

"Oh, absolutely," Welsh agreed.

"2nd Platoon ready?" Everyone jumped when Sobel suddenly appeared in the door.

"Ready, sir," Dick replied hastily.

"Then get them in formation. We're moving out." Sobel shot a look towards Tess, "And in the future, Lieutenant Winters, try not to let privates into company headquarters without my permission."

"Yes, sir," Dick agreed.

"It's _corporal,_ " Tess muttered under her breath as Sobel left.

Then she bid farewell to the officers and heading back to the women's barracks to gather her stuff.

"Back so soon?" Charlotte asked, without looking up from the card game she was playing with Ethel, "Finished making love to a certain handsome lieutenant?"

"We're moving out. Soon, anyway."

Now Charlotte looked up, "Shit, really?"

Tess snorted, "Yeah, you think I'd lie about something like that? Patsy will be along any minute to tell us to get in formation."

And sure enough, Patsy appeared about a minute later, "Get a move on it, ladies. Outside, in formation in two minutes, let's go."

"Any idea where we're headed, Lieutenant?" Ethel asked.

Patsy shook her head, "None, sorry. All I know is that we're getting on a train."

Ethel shrugged, "Well, it was worth asking."

"We're gonna go where we're ordered and that's all you need to know, Private Bostick," Patsy snapped.

Ethel held up her hands in surrender, "No need to go all formalities on me, Patsy. It's not like I have a choice in the matter."

BROOKLYN NAVAL SHIPYARD, NEW YORK- SEPTEMBER 1943

"So, Europe it is," Charlotte sighed, as she led Tess, Ethel, and Jill through the crowded underbelly of the troop ship.

"Supposedly," Tess answered, "We could be going to North Africa."

"Well, shoot, I hope not," Ethel said, sounding horrified, "If I'm going to get shot up by some Kraut bastard, I want it to be in someplace exciting. Who gives a shit about North Africa?"

Charlotte tossed her duffel bag onto an empty bunk, ignoring Ethel, "Alrighty. Here we go. I'm claiming the lowest bunk so if I get seasick and throw up, it won't land on any of you. Isn't that considerate of me?"

"We're all very impressed with your chivalry," Jill replied in a droll tone.

Charlotte mock saluted her, "Well thank you kindly, Sergeant Heinrich. I live to serve." Then she clapped her hands together and turned to face the other three girls, "Now, ladies, let's go find ourselves some gentlemen."

With some reluctance, Tess and Jill followed Charlotte and Ethel out of the women's quarters. After several failed attempts, the group managed to locate the men's quarters and find their way to where the men of Easy Company had set up camp.

"Well if it isn't the ladies, crawling over to us for comfort," Bill Guarnere sneered as the girls made themselves at home.

Tess frowned, "It sure is crowded in here. Compared to the women's quarters, that is."

Liebgott smirked, "I'm sure a few of us could join you over there, if it gets lonely." Charlotte slapped him.

A few minutes later, cigarettes had been passed out, and the discussion turned to the company's inevitable deployment.

"Hey, guys, I'm glad I'm going to Europe," Joe Toye put in, brandishing his pocket knife as he spoke, "Hitler gets one of these across the windpipe, Roosevelt changes Thanksgiving to Joe Toye Day and pays me $10,000 a year for the rest of my fucking life."

"Tess over here seems to think that we might not even be going to Europe," Charlotte countered.

"We could be going to North Africa," Tess agreed.

"My brother's in North Africa; he says it's hot," Guarnere said.

"Really?" Malarkey asked, his voice dripping sarcasm, "It's hot in Africa?"

"Shut up," Guarnere snapped, "Point is, it don't matter where we go. Once you get into combat, the only person you can trust is yourself and the fellow next to you."

Toye shrugged, "Hey, long as he's a paratrooper."

"Or she," Jill whispered to Tess.

"Oh yeah? What if that paratrooper turns out to be Sobel?" Luz pointed out.

Pat Christianson, a relatively quiet man, spoke up, "If I'm next to Sobel in combat, I'm moving on down the line. Hook up with some other officer, like Heyliger or Winters."

"I like Winters," Guarnere admitted, "He's a good man. But when the bullets start flying, I don't know if I want a Quaker doing my fighting for me."

Tess practically choked on her cigarette.

"How do you know he's a Quaker?" Muck asked, sounding genuinely curious.

Guarnere shrugged, "He ain't Catholic."

Charlotte leaned forward to look at Tess, "So is he a Quaker?"

Tess giggled, "No!"

Meanwhile, the conversation had moved back to Sobel, thanks to Malarkey pointing out that the captain, was in fact, not Catholic either.

"That prick's a son of Abraham," Guarnere scoffed.

"He's what?" Liebgott spoke up and everyone except Guarnere froze.

"He's a Jew," Guarnere said, oblivious to who he was talking to.

"Fuck," Liebgott hopped down from his bunk to stand in front of Guarnere, "I'm a Jew."

"Congratulations," Guarnere sneered, "Get your nose out of my face."

"Here we go," Tess muttered as the fighting broke out, "I'm gonna get some fresh air," she told her friends, who were watching the fight with varied expressions. Jill, with disgust. Ethel looked entertained. Charlotte, however, looked like she might want to join in.

Tess shook her head and pushed her way through the small crowd that had gathered until she was on the outside deck. She stood near the railing, and closed her eyes, letting the combination of wind and mist hit her face as the boat chugged along through the water. Just as soon as the peace set in, she was snapped from her reverie by a jeering voice.

"Hey, little girl, why don't you come sit over here?"

"Yeah, I've got some things I can show you!"

Tess's eyes snapped open and she let out a low growl of frustration. She was beginning consider heading back below deck when she spotted Dick at the other end of the deck. The leering soldiers followed her gaze, and upon spotting the officer, immediately shut up, despite Dick being too far away to even hear their comments. Tess stifled a laugh, and headed over to stand next to him. He smiled when he saw her.

"Funny seeing you here," she said.

"Just getting some fresh air," he told her.

"Yeah, me too," Tess agreed, "Some hooligans started fighting down there. You know how it goes."

"Who?" Dick asked.

"Guarnere and Liebgott."

"Can't say I'm surprised."

"No, I guess not."

They stood in silence for a moment until Tess remembered Guarnere's comments about Dick and she laughed.

"What?" he asked her.

"Nothing, it's just..." she stopped laughing and faced Dick, "Did you know Guarnere thinks you're a Quaker?"

The corner of Dick's mouth quirked upward slightly, "He does?"

"Yeah," Tess replied, greatly amused, "Didn't bother to correct him though. Figured I'd let you have the honors."

"Thanks…" he said, sounding distracted. Then: "You know, we might never come back after this." And suddenly, they weren't laughing about Bill Guarnere anymore.

"I know," Tess told him, "I've known that since I signed up. Haven't you?"

"I have," Dick admitted, then sighed, "I tried to get out of it, you know. War, that is."

Tess was startled, "What?"

"I volunteered for the army, a few months before we joined the war. I wanted to do one year of service so that I could avoid the draft, should we ever get involved in the war. Went through basic training and everything," Dick shook his head, "But then the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and we joined the war, and no one was allowed to be discharged from the army. I was stuck."

"You probably would have been drafted anyway."

"That's what I told myself. I decided it was better this way. I went to Officer Candidate School, and then joined the airborne. And now I'm here."

"What are you going to do when you get back?" Tess asked softly.

"I haven't even let myself think that far ahead yet," Dick took a deep breath, as though he was preparing himself to do something, and then he reached over and grabbed Tess's hand. Neither of them said anything, just stood there in silence, staring out into the black ocean.

A little while later, Tess returned to her cot in the women's quarters to find her three friends already sound asleep on theirs. Charlotte was sporting a fresh bruise on her cheek. Tess smiled ruefully as she climbed into bed. Her breathing fell into rhythm with the rocking of the boat, and soon she was asleep and dreaming.


	3. Chapter 3

ALDBOURNE, ENGLAND- SEPTEMBER 1943

Easy Company's training time in England had started off well enough. Sobel, of course, was still perfectly incompetent as leader, but everyone had just seemed to shut up and except that for the time being.

The thing about the training in England, however, was that it seemed to have a wider purpose. Basic training had been just that- basic, beginner's training. Welcome to the army. Jump training had been similar, but more of a "welcome to the airborne" thing. But this training was different. Now, Easy Company was preparing for something bigger than themselves. They were training for the invasion of Europe.

Of course, no one but the intelligence staff knew any specifics. But everyone knew it was coming. You could practically feel it in the air.

Yet, for the time being, things were peaceful. Happy, almost. While in England, the men and women of the company stayed in the home of local villagers, which meant heating, a real bed and bathroom, and warm food.

"This seems too good to be true," Charlotte lay on the bed in the room she was sharing with Tess, "Good food, a comfortable bed…"

"Probably just overcompensating to make up for the fact that soon, we'll be sleeping foxholes," Tess snorted.

"Fuck," Charlotte said remorsefully, "I don't want to sleep in a foxhole."

Tess didn't say anything, but checked her watch, "We should head down to the base soon. We're supposed to report at 0900 hours."

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," Charlotte muttered, pulling herself out of bed and grabbing her helmet, "Let's see what Sobel screws up today."

The idea behind the drill was simply enough. Two platoons of Easy Company would start in separate positions, and eventually meet up to capture the target. Sobel would lead the 1st Platoon and Dick would lead the 2nd. Much to their dismay, Charlotte and Tess were both placed in 1st Platoon.

"Can you do me a favor and say something rude about Sobel to make me feel better?" Tess asked her friend.

"That fucking idiot needs to get his head out of his ass," Charlotte replied, almost cheerfully.

"Thanks," Tess said.

As usual, Sobel started off confidently but was eventually reduced to fumbling around with the map and rubbing his forehead in frustration. In this particular situation, the platoon had come across a barbed wire fence.

"Perconte, Luz. Get the platoon… take cover behind those trees!" Sobel gestured randomly.

"All right, let's go. Move it out fellas," Luz instructed, slight annoyance slipping into his words.

The platoon found shelter behind a few trees and prepared to sit and watch the catastrophe go down.

"Hey, Luz!" Perconte whispered, once they were hidden behind the trees, "Can you do Major Horton?"

Luz, famous for his uncanny imitation abilities, grinned wildly, "Does a wild bear crap in the woods, son?" he replied, his voice a perfect replication of the major's.

"Maybe the good major can goose this schmuck and get us moving?" Perconte asked, nodding in Sobel's direction.

Luz's grin faded, "No, no way. I'm not gonna-"

But as soon as the words were out of his mouth, the whole platoon began pleading with him to "come on, do it!" and "Luz, you gotta!"

Luz hesitated slightly before succumbing to the peer pressure, "Alright, just this once. Shhh!"

He cleared his throat before yelling, in Major Horton's voice, "Is there a problem Captain Sobel?"

"Who said that?" Sobel yelled back, "Who broke silence?"

Muffled giggles erupted among the ranks of the platoon.

"What is the goddamn hold-up, Mr. Sobel?" Luz continued.

"A fence sir!" Sobel replied, frantic, "A-a barbed wire fence!"

"Oh, that dog ain't gonna hurt!" The entire platoon broke out into laughter.

"Shut up!" Luz hissed, before continuing, "Now you cut that wire fence and get this goddamn platoon on the move!"

"Yes, sir!" Sobel barked back. And 1st Platoon was practically rolling on the ground laughing as Sobel cut the wire fence and ordered the platoon to continue on.

They more or less met up with 2nd Platoon at the objective. Actually, 2nd Platoon was already there, but now no one really cared about Sobel's failure because they were too busy recounting Luz's stunt. In fact, it was a miracle Sobel himself hadn't gotten wind of it, because even Nixon and Dick had heard about it. They cornered her the next morning.

"So, what happened, Tess? The thing with Luz?" Nixon pressed. Dick didn't participate in the interrogation, he stood off to the side watching. But Tess could tell that he was curious.

"Well Lieutenant Nixon, I'm not sure it would be in my best interest to spill a tale like that to an officer. Luz is my friend, you know," Tess replied sweetly. She could play this game all day.

"Did he really do an impression of Major Horton? And tell Sobel to cut the fence?" Nixon continued, unfazed.

Dick sighed, "Come on, Tess. Just tell us. We won't tell anyone else."

"Okay, fine," Tess huffed, "Yes, Luz, acting as Major Horton told Sobel to cut the fence. It was glorious. Be jealous that you weren't there."

Nixon cast a glance at Dick, "I wonder that's why Sobel's trying to get back at you. Maybe he thinks it was your idea or something."

Tess spun to look at Dick, "What's he talking about?"

Nixon snorted, "Mr. Golden Boy over here is being _court martialed_."

"What?" Tess asked, flabbergasted. Dick had never broke a rule in his life, "Why?"

Dick fished a letter out of his pocket and handed it to her, "Sobel claims I "failed to perform a duty given to me by a ranking officer" but he gave me no way of knowing what that duty was. Nix is probably right, I think he just wanted to take his anger out on someone."

Tess read the letter and frowned, "They misspelled 'court-martial'."

Nixon threw his hands up in the air, "That's what I said!"

Tess shook her head, "I don't understand why this warrants a court-martial. Even if you really did commit an infraction, it seems like a simple mistake. Everyone makes mistakes."

Dick gave a rueful smile, "Oh, he didn't want this to go to court martial. He told me I could have a denial of a 48-hour pass for 60 days. I don't think he wanted this to go to a higher power."

"And so you took the court martial?"

"Yeah, I figured they might realize how messed up Sobel is and then they won't punish me."

Tess bit her lip, "And in the meantime…"

Nixon slapped Dick on the shoulder playfully, "Corporal Cruz, you're looking at the newest Battalion Mess Officer."

"Shit, really? What about the invasion?"

"Hopefully it all gets cleared up by then," Dick answered.

"Yeah, I sure hope so. You can't leave Easy Company to jump with Sobel!"

Nixon looked suddenly offended, "Yeah! How dare you leave us like this Dick? Stop being so good and noble, will you?"

Tess and Nixon glared at Dick, who put his head in his hands in surrender, "You two know it's beyond my control. But it's highly unlikely that this will still be going on when we make the jump. At least, I think so."

"Oh, right, I forgot that you've never gotten in trouble in your life, so you have no idea how it goes," Nixon said with false sympathy.

Dick shoved him.

"What? It's true," Nix laughed.

They laughed, but things only got worse from there. Upon hearing that Dick had been relegated to Mess Officer, all of the NCOs of Easy Company had turned in letters of resignation. Their resignations had been denied by Colonel Sink, but that didn't ease the tensions.

A few days later, however, relief broke out over the company and all tensions subsided. Sobel had been reassigned to command a parachute training school. Lieutenant Meehan from Baker Company had been transferred to Easy Company as their new commander. None of the men and women of Easy Company knew what to expect from Meehan, but it was almost certain that he would be better than Sobel had been.

The night after Sobel left, Easy Company unabashedly threw a party celebrating the event. None of the officers had been formally invited, so Tess had taken the liberty to personally invite Dick and Nixon.

Nixon had looked vaguely amused, but had said nothing. Dick had answered for both of them.

"Thanks Tess, but you know we can't," he had said, "As officers, it wouldn't be acceptable for us to show up at celebration of… that nature."

So Tess found herself gathered in a table at the local pub with Charlotte, Ethel, and some of the men of the company (Jill had also declined to come), wondering how she had grown so accustomed to Nix and Dick's company.

Charlotte, who knew Tess better than anyone else there, smirked her, "Missing the company of the esteemed Lieutenant Winters?" She didn't bother lowering her voice, and as a result the entire table heard, and all heads swivelled to face Tess, who groaned.

"Lieutenant Winters, huh?" Malarkey raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, geez. We're just friends. That's all," Tess argued.

"Friends who spend an awful lot of time alone together," Charlotte muttered.

"Lieutenant Nixon is usually there…" Tess trailed off.

"Oh, so you have a chaperone?"

"That's not what I-"

"Would he approve of your smoking habits, I wonder?" Luz inquired innocently.

"Can it, Luz," Tess snapped.

Luz held up his hands in defense, "I'm just asking."

"Wait, was that you with him on the boat?" Perconte asked, suddenly.

"Excuse me?" Tess replied, not sure what that question implied.

Perconte looked around, nodding his head, proud that he now had the attention of the whole table, "This guy from Dog Company came up to me and said he was on the deck of the ship and he saw Lieutenant Winters holding hands with some girl. He didn't know who she was, he was hoping I might."

Ethel gawked at Tess, " _Holding hands?_ You? And Lieutenant Winters?"

Tess's face turned beet red, and she felt strangely defensive, but realized there was no sense denying it, "Yeah, holding hands and nothing more. Why, you want me to hold _your_ hand, Perconte?"

"All that and more, sweetheart," Perconte teased.

Tess ignored him and gestured to the pile of cards on the table, "Yeah, whatever. Are we playing, or what?"

Unfortunately, the happiness didn't last long.

UPOTTERY, ENGLAND- MAY 1944

The invasion was here. Suddenly, it wasn't a secret amongst intelligence anymore. It was something everyone had to know, from the top generals all the way down to the lowliest private. This was their mission. To invade the goddamn country of France. Operation Overlord. And everyone had to know it by heart, which meant nearly a month of learning, practicing, and reviewing the entire operation, as well as the specific task delegated to Easy Company.

"We will drop behind the Atlantic Wall five hours before the 4th Infantry lands at Utah," Lieutenant Meehan told them, "Between our assembly area and the Battalion's objective, there is a German garrison. Right here in this area. Sainte-Marie-du-Mont." He pointed to the location on the map, "Easy Company will destroy that garrison."

"Yes sir!" the company replied, as though they had a choice in the matter.

Weeks later the entire battalion spread out in the airfield to gather their gear.

"All right. Listen up! Listen up!" Sergeant Lipton made his way through the ranks, "If you did not sign your GI life insurance policy, you go on over and see Sergeant Evans at the Headquarters Company tent!"

Charlotte blew out a shaky breath after he passed, "This is the real deal, isn't it?"

Tess wasn't sure how to respond.

"Sure is, Fitz," Luz dropped down onto the ground next to them, clutching a crumpled sheet of paper, "We jump tonight."

"Easy Company!" Meehan yelled from across the airfield, "Listen up! Channel coast is socked in with rain and fog. NO JUMP TONIGHT! The invasion has been postponed. We're on a 24 hour stand down."

Charlotte raised an eyebrow at Luz, who shrugged.

"Or not," he said, sheepishly.

During the stand down, with nothing else to do, the company was allowed to simply watch a movie in one of the tents. Everyone laughed and joked like this was normal, but it wasn't. And Tess just couldn't shake that feeling. Without a plan as to where she was going, she left the tent and started walking through the airfield. She spotted Dick near one of the tents, but she couldn't bring herself to talk to him right now. She kept walking until she found a quiet area of the base and slumped down against the side of one of the tents.

And she took that time to think about something she hadn't let herself think about in a long time- home.

Mama. Papa. Maria. Sara. Her parents. Her sisters. Their small apartment in Rochester, where her and her sisters had shared a bedroom. They'd had to take turn sleeping on the floor because the bed only fit two of them.

 _They don't have to worry about that now,_ Tess thought wryly.

She saw her mother, in the kitchen, making dinner. She had always loved cooking, despite the fact that the family had never had much money for luxury ingredients. She saw her father, coming home from work at the shop, covered in grease, but smiling all the same. Everyday, he came home and kissed her mother on the cheek. Every single day. Nearly thirty years of marriage, and their love for each other never wavered.

Then she thought even further back, to their home in Puerto Rico. It had been larger than their Rochester home, but it had been dirty. Dust, dirt, and sand had always found a way in from the streets of Cayey, despite the best efforts of Paula Cruz. She remembered their neighbors, a friendly old couple whose children had long since moved away. Tess remembered the couple's names- Joseph and Isabel. She remembered how they had always given Tess and her sisters candy every Christmas. Special candy, sent by their children in the states.

Finally, she thought about now. Easy Company. Her new family, at least for the time being. She thought about all the people she had met. Charlotte, with her brash attitude and slight drinking problem. Ethel, so likable and friendly. Jill, who was so serious and dedicated, but also the most loyal person Tess had ever met. Luz and his impeccable impersonations that provided much needed humor. Nixon, always pretending he didn't care about anyone or anything, but Tess knew that deep down, he had a heart of gold. Dick, with his kind and forgiving smile, always trying to do the right thing. And there were so many more. Malarkey, Patsy, Liebgott, Perconte, even Guarnere. She felt a deep connection with every last one of them.

Currahee. We stand alone. How false that statement had become. Because Tess was not alone, although she almost wished she was. How much easier would this be, she wondered, if my life was not tied to so many others? But she knew that back home, her family was thinking about her. And she knew that in whatever tomorrow might bring, her company would be there for her.

So when she climbed aboard the plan the next day, weighed down by a little bit more than just her parachuting gear, she thought about everyone she was tied to. And as the plane took off into the sky, she hoped that she would survive to spend the rest of her life with those people.

And so once the plane was soaring through the air, headed behind German lines, Tess had nothing left to do but focus on the mission.

They sounded off for equipment check, the light turned green, and Tess jumped.

 _And so it begins._

 **A/N- Hey, I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who's been reading** ** _Voyagers_** **. I'm excited to see where this story goes next!**


	4. Chapter 4

Tess pulled her parachute out and began the slow descent to the ground. Beneath her, the ground was smoldering, and she could hear weapons constantly being fired.

 _So this is war,_ she realized.

She touched down in a mostly deserted field, save for a few other paratroopers landing in the distance. She took off her parachute and looked around. Despite the fact all of Easy Company should have landed in the same vicinity, she recognized no one. So, with a sigh, Tess grabbed her compass and started off in the direction of the rendezvous point. As she walked, she tried to ignore the sounds of fighting in the distance, but quite frankly, it is very difficult. Instead, she simply clutched her gun tighter and promised herself that she would stay on high alert.

No later than twenty minutes after she had started hiking through the woods, Tess heard a low rustle in the bushes. She spun around and aimed her gun in that direction, frozen. Should she shoot? Should she investigate? She was saved from this decision by a voice coming from the bush: "Flash!"

Of course, the code! Suddenly, Tess felt like a fool.

"Thunder!" she replied quickly and a figure emerged from the bushes. A young woman, face covered in grease. But it was a familiar young woman.

"Jill!" Tess whispered.

Jill's face lit up, "Tess? Is that you?"

Tess picked her way over to her friend, "Yeah, it's me. Where is everyone?"

Jill shook her head, "No idea. I think they messed up the DZ. They scattered the company."

"Shit."

"Exactly," Jill replied grimly, "Are you alone?"

Tess nodded, "You're the first familiar face I've seen."

"Really? Well, I have Lieutenant Sheridan with me." Jill titled her head in the direction of the trees, "She was hit by a piece of shrapnel from a plane on the way down. It's in her leg, so she can't walk. I was hoping someone would come along to help to lift her."

Tess bit her lip, "I mean, I could try."

"I think we have to. We're sitting ducks here. Plus, if we don't make it to the village, people will think we were killed. Come on, this way." Jill led Tess a couple of feet to another cluster of foliage. Lieutenant Patsy Sheridan was sitting up against a tree. She grimaced when she saw Jill and Tess.

"Sergeant Heinrich, I see you've found Corporal Cruz," she said, through clenched teeth.

"How's it going Lieutenant?" Tess asked, sneaking a glance at Patsy's leg. She didn't seem to be in an immediate danger of dying, but her right calf did look pretty bloody.

"Not bad," Patsy replied, "You?"

"Oh, I'm just peachy," Tess answered, false lightness in her voice. She frowned, "Do you need morphine, Lieutenant? I think we have it in our aid kits."

"I already offered it to her," Jill said as Patsy shook her head violently.

"No, no. I'll be fine," she reassured Tess. But despite her brave words, Tess could see the clear agony on her face. Which was odd, in its own way. Throughout everything- Toccoa, jump training, all of it- Patsy had consistently been one of the toughest, bravest, and most competent soldiers in the company. She had been an untouchable force, almost like a machine. Seeing her like this was as though she was exposed, in a way. With the pain written on her face, she looked… younger, Tess realized with a start. How old was Patsy, anyway?

"Lieutenant," Tess began, "How old are you?"

Jill shot Tess a look, but Patsy just laughed, "21, Corporal. I'm 21."

 _Christ_ , Tess thought. Tess herself was 23, Jill, she knew, was 24. Patsy was their leader, Tess had always assumed she was at least 23. But 21? That was young, even by Easy Company (where the older soldiers were barely into their thirties) standards.

Tess blew out a breath, "Okay, Lieutenant. We're gonna get you to the village." Her and Jill each grabbed one side of Patsy and pulled her up.

Patsy stood up on her good leg, "Alright, I think I'm going to need one of you to support me on each side." Tess and Jill did as they were told and the trio began to make their way through the woods at an excruciatingly slow pace, with Patsy wincing in pain every so often. Tess was very aware that they were an easy target, so she made sure to stay behind the cover of trees. After nearly an hour of hiking in silence, they saw some people and a village in the distance.

"Flash!" Jill yelled.

"Thunder!" came the reply and Tess sagged with relief. A few of the people hurried over, and they were familiar faces- Malarkey and Toye.

"Cruz? Heinrich? Is that you?" Malarkey asked, once he reached them.

"Nice to see you, Bullshit," Tess said, "Where's the rest of the company?"

"Some are in the town, over there. The rest, we don't know," Malarkey told her.

Toye scoffed, "Damn pilots dropped us all over Normandy."

"Listen, I'd love to sit here and chat it up with you, but Lieutenant Sheridan here really needs to see a medic," Jill snapped. Malarkey looked at Patsy and his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"Shit. Right this way."

Malarkey and Toye led them into the bombed out village, which was filled with soldiers running every which way. The aid station wasn't any more organized.

"Hey, Doc!" Toye called and Eugene Roe, one of Easy Company's medics, came scurrying over. He saw the injured Patsy instantly and pointed to an empty cot.

"Put her over there," he instructed Jill and Tess. They did as they were told. Patsy, who was just about passed out from the pain, whimpered as she was lowered onto the cot.

"Did you give her any morphine?" Eugene asked as he knelt next to her.

"No, she said she didn't need any," Jill replied.

"Okay, well, I'm gonna have to remove the shrapnel from her leg, but she should be fine," Eugene said, "You four can't stay, though. Easy Company's gonna need everyone they can."

"You got it, Doc," Tess turned to leave, with Jill, Toye, and Malarkey on her heel.

Outside the aid station, they joined the small group of Easy Company soldiers that had gathered. Tess scanned the grease-coated faces and was relieved to find Charlotte and Ethel among them. Conversations floated around her as she joined the cluster.

"Lieutenant Meehan…"

"Plane went down…"

"Missing…"

"Acting CO…"

Tess frowned.

"Alright!" a voice yelled. Dick's voice.

"Listen up!" he continued, "The 88s we've been hearing have been spotted in a field down the road a ways. Major Strayer wants us to take them out. There are two guns that we know of, firing on Utah Beach. Plan on a third and fourth here and here…" he pointed to a map. Tess had to stand on her toes to see it.

"The Germans are in the trenches with access to the entire battery. With machine gun covering their rear. We'll establish a base of fire and move it under hard and fast with two squads of three."

"How many Krauts do you think we're facing?" Guarnere asked.

Dick shook his head in apology, "No idea."

Guarnere raised his eyebrows, "No idea?"

"We'll take some TNT along with us. To spike the guns. Lipton, your responsibility."

"Yes, sir."

Dick continued to assign tasks. Tess, along with Lieutenant Buck Compton, Malarkey, Toye, Guarnere, Charlotte, and Dick himself would be making the main assault. Ethel and Jill have been assigned to man a machine gun, which Tess was slightly jealous of.

The ragtag remains of Easy Company loaded up on ammo and made their way to the location of the German battery. They ran through an extensive, but now mostly useless vegetable garden before reaching a line of shrubbery next to the open field where the Germans fired away on Utah Beach.

 _That garden belonged to someone,_ Tess thought distractedly, _Someone lived- or maybe, still lives, here._ It was a disturbing thought, and she did the best she could to push it out of her head. The men and women stared at the field, taking it all in. Then Dick began frantically gesturing directions and they could stare no longer. It was time to go.

After a minute of whispered instructions to each group, Dick gestured to Liebgott and the other soldier, Private Petty, to open fire with their machine gun. Lipton climbed into a tree and began shooting Germans from the cover of the tree.

Lieutenant Compton led Malarkey, Guarnere, Tess, and Charlotte to the first German machine gun.

"Go, go!" he ordered, and each soldier unclips a grenade from their belt and chucks it into the German trench. The subsequent explosions went off and the five of them grabbed their guns and rushed to see if they were successful. One lone German soldier remained and Compton aimed his gun, but it wouldn't fire.

"Shit," he muttered, "Jammed."

Luckily, Guarnere quickly fired his gun, and the German fell over. Easy Company has captured the first gun. But this wasn't a training exercise. This was still happening, there was more to be done.

Dick tasked Toye, Compton, and himself with capturing the second gun, which they did with little difficulty, while Tess stood by and provided covering fire. Liebgott and Petty haul their machine gun over to where their attack force has gathered. As the group gathered in the trench to plan their neck move, Malarkey eyed a dead German in the middle of the field.

"I think one of those dead Krauts has a Lugar!" he exclaimed.

"So what?" Guarnere scoffed, but Malarkey was clearly interested. He climbed out of the trench and rushed across the battlefield.

"What the hell, Malarkey?" Charlotte called. Everyone braced themselves for Malarkey to get blown to bits, but they firing didn't come.

Tess almost laughed, "They must think he's a medic!"

Guarnere swore, "He's gonna need a goddamn medic!"

Malarkey retrieved the gun and began running back to Easy Company. The German, perhaps realizing they'd been had, started firing.

"Malarkey! Stay low!" Liebgott muttered to no one in particular, then to the company, "What the hell is he doing?"

Malarkey dove back into the trench, miraculously unharmed.

Ethel punched him in the shoulder.

"Ow!" he complained.

"What were you thinking you idiot? That's not even a Lugar!" Ethel hissed. Everyone looked at the gun in question, and sure enough, it was no Lugar. Guarnere sighed.

Dick, who had been watching the battlefield through a set of binoculars, turned around, "Where's Lipton with that TNT?"

"Don't know, sir," Guarnere replied.

But they ended up not needing the TNT because Captain Hester and another private showed up and they had a significant supply. Under Dick's instruction, they used it to blow up both the third German gun. And everything was moving fast, so fast that Tess could hardly keep up. She became a machine, following orders, completing tasks.

Eventually, the scraps of Easy Company were joined by Lieutenant Speirs and a few soldiers from Dog Company.

"Mind if D Company takes a shot at the next gun?" Speirs asked Dick.

"All yours," Dick replied, looking mildly startled.

"Let's go, Dog Company!" Speirs yelled and his soldiers followed him onto the field. Dick, Tess, Buck Compton, Charlotte, and Toye watched in shock as Speirs led D Company in a charge across the field.

"What the hell is he doing?" Buck muttered, "Oh, Jesus…"

"Sir!" Lipton called, bursting onto the scene, "Had a little trouble getting through that first field…"

Dick turned to see Lipton with the TNT and nodded towards it, "We're gonna need it at the next gun. Once it's blown, pull out! Go!"

"Compton, police them both, then pull out! Cruz! Fitzgerald! Toye! Move out!" Dick instructed them, "Move out! Move out! MGs first! Fall back to your original positions!"

Liebgott, Ethel, Jill, and Petty grabbed their respective machine guns and began to move back.

"Everyone else maintain your base of fire!" Dick ordered.

In the field, the TNT went off, destroying the last gun. Tess watched it go up in flames, feeling a surge of relief.

 _We did it._

"Okay, back to battalion! Go! Go!" And with that, the soldiers left, leaving Brecourt Manor smoldering in the distance.

It was well into the night before Tess was able to find a moment of peace. Once they had arrived back at the town, they had reunited with more of Easy Company. Then Tess had headed straight to the aid station to check on Patsy, who was quickly recovering from her wounds. Finally, she had found Charlotte and the two of them had managed to find some food.

"That was something," Charlotte said, as the two of them sat and picked through a can of green beans.

Tess smiled weakly, "Hey, we survived." And they had. She had. Teresa Cruz had survived drop day. D-Day. Tomorrow would be D-Day plus 1. Then plus 2. And eventually, it would be D-Day plus 365, a whole year later. Tess wondered where she would be in a year. Would she make it that long?

Charlotte didn't share Tess's sentimentality, "What, were you planning on dying? Of course we survived." She scoffed, "I've made it too far for a fucking Kraut to gun me down and kill me."

"Jesus! Let me outta here!" Liebgott yelled, jumping out of the back of a truck a few feet away.

Charlotte smirked, "Might as well see what that's all about." She jumped up, "Coming?" she asked Tess.

Tess shook her head, "No. I think I'm gonna sit here for a while."

Charlotte looked bewildered, as though she couldn't imagine anyone anyone purposely choosing to sit on their own. But she didn't push it, she simply shrugged and said: "Suit yourself."

Then she headed over to the truck and hopped into the back.

"FUCK WHAT'S THAT SMELL?" she shouted, so loud that everyone in the surrounding area froze for a second before continuing about their business.

Tess chuckled to herself as she got up headed past the various army convoys to the edge of the town where they had set up camp. In the distance, she watched as a town went up in flames.

"Mind if I join you?" Dick asked, coming to stand next to her.

"No, find a different town to watch burn," Tess teased, but her heart wasn't in it.

"It's awful," Dick whispered, voicing exactly what Tess was thinking. She turned to face him. His face was illuminated by the fire.

"Somehow, I think this is only the beginning," Tess replied. Then she sighed, "I need to write to my family. Let them know that I'm alright."

"Your family," Dick looked away from the town and almost smiled, "Tell me about them."

Tess was startled, "What did you want to know?"

"It's just… you're always talking about them. You say it's why you came here. And besides," he gestured to the flames, "I need something to take my mind off of this. Something good."

"Well," Tess began, "There's my mom and my dad. Mama and Papa. Mama loves to cook, even though we didn't always have enough money for ingredients. She's good at it, too. It was hard to adjust to that shit the army serves us."

Dick laughed.

"And Papa is a mechanic. That's how we were able to move to the States- he found a job at an auto garage. He taught me some things, too.

"I have two sisters- Maria and Sara. Maria just turned twenty. She's very smart, especially with math. We all tell her that she's going to be the first one in the family to graduate college.

"Sara, my youngest sister, is sixteen. She's always been so adventurous, so brave. If she was old enough, she'd join the army. And she'd be good at it, too."

Tess stopped talking to take a breath, amazed at the spur of words that had just fallen out of her mouth. Words that she had always thought, but never said before. Until now.

"And then there's me," she finished lamely.

"They all sound wonderful," Dick told her. He cleared his throat, "I think… I mean, I think I'd like to meet them someday. When the war's over, that is."

"Right," Tess looked out at the town, "When the war's over."


End file.
